Untitled

Of all the parts of our body, teeth, crammed into the mouth cave, are a constant reminder that we are merely flesh hanging out to dry on an elaborate chain of bone linkages. The pulpy ripped swollen scarlet and pink flesh that we call the gums, barely tolerate their border-line function as a visual testament to life and death. The mouth itself is in constant crisis. It is the place where stuttering words come forth, where words are taken back, where ‘sweet’ foods begin their rot. Francis Bacon understood that the mouth is at once entrance and exodus. When we scream we also breathe. In order to exhale we must inhale. For Sweet Toof this sway between horror and acceptance is an important part of his work. Sweet Toof’s painting starts with and evolves out of his street art; whether as a solo graffiti artist or in collaboration with others. Typical tags, throw- ups, and more elaborate pieces become a whole language which informs his studio works. Like the streets of 1980’s New York, London’s streets today are being reclaimed by an ever increasing army of street artists of which Sweet Toof is one of the most prolific and artful. Out there, under the swirl of lamplights, billboards and urban detritus, ‘bubble-Gums’